Thrust-equalizing rail-plate.



W. P. THOMSON.

nmusr sou llllllll AIL PLATE.

APPLICATION F-ILED SEPT-17.1918. I

Patented. Apr. 1,1919 3 ssssssssss 51.1.] x l W. P. THOMSON.

THRUST EOUALIZING'RAIL PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPTA-7.1918.

Patented Apr. 1,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Wu. Mm PA ro/v 77/0/1160.

W. P. THOMSON.

THRUST EOUALIZING RAIL PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. :1. 191a.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

""nnmllmlllllHIHHIIIIHHHIHHHIHHUI WILLIAM PATON THOMSON, 0F YORK, N. Y.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known' that I, NVILLIAM PATON THOMSON, citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of'New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in In the development of railway track equipment various expedients and forms of construction have been resorted to as a means ofprotection for the fibers of the wood in the tie, and also to afford a more desirable and stable bearing for the rail base than is obtainable when the rail rests directly upon a wooden tie. These efforts have included experimentation along the lines of modifying the form ofa tie plate so as to establish a predetermined inclin'as tion for the rail, as distinguished from the more general practice of placing the rail vertically on the tie. But, the practical difficulties in arbitrarily determining the c0i' rect degree of inclination for the rail as a basis from which to construct a tie plate is one 'of the problems that has confronted engineers and manufacturers in making an acceptable design that would provide for a correct and proper seating of the tie plate with relation to the rail baseand to the tie.'

These and other conditions have led up to the conception of the present invention which is founded on entirely new and .dif-' ferent principles from those followed in prior practices. Accordingly, the invention primarily and essentially involves a principle-of construction which departs from the practice of establishing a definite degree of inclination for the rail in order to set the same in a theoretically proper relation to the wheel tread; it provides, on the contrary, a rail plate structure designed with such a disposition of tie-bearing'surfaces as to permit the wheel load forces to act with sufiicientfreedom through the rail to make these forces the determining factors in such a progressive embedment of the rail plate Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1919.

Application filed September 17, 1918. Serial N 0. 254,427.

tive relation between the acting and reacting forces of the road bed, the tie, the rail plate, the railand the loaded wheels.

Therefore, it will be apparent that it is pro posed to so correlate the structural elements and forces as to automatically attain, in a much more practical and reliable way than has hitherto been possible, the most efiicient cooperation between the wheel tread and the running surface of the rail.

A- further practical and important object of the invention is to provide a rail plate wlth a novel tie bearing surface which will accommodate itself with facility to any of the usual irregularities in the top surface of the tie which may be produced by improper hewlng or otherwise. It is this feature of the invention that renders the rail plate of great adaptability and assures an automatic adjustment or rocking to an easy and true bearing against the under side of the rail base prior to the load forces coming into play to give a final seating to the rail plate in accordance with the principles of the invention. In this connection it is important to note that a fundamental principle underlying the invention is that the tie bearing surfaces of the rail plate shall be so disposed with reference to each other and'to the rail bearing surface of the rail plate, that, as the embedment of the rail plate progresses, a preponderant area of rail bearing surfaces of the tie plate operates to supplement the tendencies of the load forces to tilt the rail plate, and the rail superim posed upon it, into a final desirable position.

A further and more general object of the invention is to provide a tie bearing or tie seating forn'iationat the under side of the rail plate whereby the effect of the progressive emb'edment of the rail plate is to produce compression of the wood fibers of thetie in decreasing ratios from a zone of maximum compressive resistance. Thus, as the compressive load force tends to embed the plate in, the tie, new areas of wood fiber are successively brought under compression, until the ultimate bearing surface of the plate upon the tie extends throughoutthe width of the plate. And, by the time that the plate has a full bearing and final 'posiportion this tie will have been automati 1 jects set forth, the present type of rail plate secures a maximum degree of protection for the tie.

-Withthe foregoing andother objects in view, which will more readily appear as the 1 nature of the invention is better understood,-

. "reference may be made'to the accompanying drawings which illustrate typ1cal embod1- meritsv of the invention and fully illustrate the various principles involved. In the drawingsi- 1 gure l-fiisa side edge view of a typical design of rail-plate embodying the present invention, illustrating it in an initial unseated position and indleatng the relation thereto of the rail, the car wheel, and the resultant of the applied forces. a

Fi 2' is a view of thesame parts .shown in F1g. 1, but illustrating the rail plate and rail tilted to a desirable coiirdinated working relation, with the resultant of the applie forces substantially coinciding with the vertical axis of the rail.

, Fig. 3is a bottom plan view of the rail plate structure shown in Figs. and. 2.

Fig. L is a graphic illustratlon of apr mary form of rail plate showing the princi- 'ple of construction involved and elucidating the functioning thereof.'

Fig. 5 is a detail edge elevation of another 40 modified form of the rail plate structure.

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the plate shown in Fig. 5. a

Fig. 7 is an edge elevation of a further modification.

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the plate shown in Fig. 7.

Similar reference charactersv designate correspondin'gxpafls throughout the several figures of die drawings.

To illustrate the novel principles of construction, and functions, provided for in the present invention, reference is first made to a typical design shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In this typical drawing there is shown a rail plate, designated generally-as T, supporting thereon a rail R engaged b the tread of the wheel W in the usual we 1 known manner. According to the invention the plate is constructed with a medial env largement E preferably of such form and locationthat, under the influence of the grip .of the rail and .the wheel loads, the plate will automatically rock or adjust itself into such a position with reference to the-upper 55 surface of the tie as to give the proper cant 1,2ee,e27

or-angle to the'rail tothereby coordinate or balance the Wheel and roadbed forces, acting and reacting throu h the rail, and so to produce a stable con ition of the loaded rail because the unseating or up-setting forces have been so balanced or neutralized. That is to say, instead of providing the rail plate with a rail supporting face of predetermined with suitable primary and secondary bearing faces so constructed and arranged as to produce somewhat the action of a pivot, causing the necessary plate movement to 'ef feet the proper seating of the rail under the stress of the imposed loads and forces,

Thus, it will be apparent that this medial portion E is of a relatively greater thickness or depth at one point than the balance thereof whereby suflicient clearance will be provided toward the edges of the plate to permit the base to have a progressive embedment in the tie as it works 'to its final positron.

Obviously, the provision of, a body as metal of relatively greater depth at the proper point to provide the action above set forth may be carried out in various forms, but a typical construction such as shown in Fig. 1 may involve forming the bottom of the rail plate of a'substantially stepped formation with the maximum depth thereof located approximately beneath the vertical center of the web of the rail. This stepped formation of the under side of the rail plate therefore. produces a medial enlargement or projection whose apex constitutes a primary bearing area or face 1, while the opposite sides thereof respectively are formed with separate series of longitudinal steps 2 and 3 which present a plurality of secondary bearing areas or faces a of varying degrees of resistance to embedment. It will also be noted from Fig. 1 that the general inclination orthe relative inclination of the series of steps 2 is preferably steeper than the relative inclination of the series of steps 3 with reference to the rail bearing surface of the plate, whereby as therail plate embeds itself in the tie, a lesser resistance to this embedment will be offered by the series of steps having the steepest general inclination. Therefore, it

may be readily seen that the invention contemplates locating the medial enlargement late itisproposed to provide the said on argement resistance to the fibers of the tie at a point substantially between a plane w-m intersecting the gage side'of the rail head and parallel to the vertical cente'rof the rail, and

another plane y-yparallel to w--w and lo-' cated preferably between the vertical center of the rail and tPe outer edge of the rail flange. With the described formation at the under' side of the rail plate it will be apparent that whenthe same is seated upon the tie the primary bearing area or face lwill first come into play and seek an embedment, and subsequently the oppositely disposed secondary areasor faces 2 and 3 will come into action to compress the wood fibers of the tie in decreasing ratios, away from the zone of maximum compressive resistance, thus bringing new areas of wood fibers successively under compression until the ultimate bearing surface of the rail plate extends throughout the full width thereof.

Also, in the light of Fig. 1 and the principles herein discussed, it ma be observed that the extent of the prepon erant area of ,tie bearing surfaces, tending to supplement the load forces in tilting the plate, may be varied to any reasonable extent by varying the sequence and size of the secondary areas that are adapted to be progressively brought into contact with the tie.

The principle of construction underlying the invention is graphically shown in Fig. 4.

From this illustrationit will be obvious that the characteristic feature is that of the bluntly formed medial enlargement or projection of metal at the under side of the plate, formed'at opposite sides of its apex with bearing areas, one of which offers a greater resistance to tie embedment than the other. These separate bearing areas may, as

shown, consist of smooth inclined faces 2 and 3 set at different angles to the horizontal, so that one will be steeper and of less extent than the other, and will therefore offer less resistance to tie embedment so that the plate will settle first toward such steeper area in seeking its proper position with reference to the rail and the tie. This function may be controlled toany desired degree by forming the'said inclined bearing areas with the series of steps a and b respectively, indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. These steps may be provided in different sizes to meet different predetern'lined conditions, but, as indicated, the steps in the narrower and .steeper bearing area are preferably of smaller size and less total area than the steps on the opposite tie bearing area, so as to offer a lesser resistance to tie embedment, as and for the purposes set forth. Therefore,

' it will. be obvious that, as graphically illus trated in Fig. 4:, the same result, substanbearing face.

tially may be attained by the use of either a stepped or a smooth conforinationof the tie bearing face of the plate (or even a combination of both types of conformation), so

long as the underlying principles herein set forth are observed.

The foregoingviews of Figs 1 and 2-also illustrate that the greatest resistance to embedment of the rail plate in all forms thereof is located within a lane between the vertical'cr-iter of the rai web and an edge volving all of the principles heretofore dis-' cussed, is shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the.draW-' ings, wherein the underside of the rail plate '1- is provided with a series of juxtaposed and eccentrically related enlar einents '6 and 7 of different area, the sma ler enlargement constituting the primary tie bearing element and being located more or less centrally at the underside of the rail plate with reference to the upper rail bearing surface. This construction is simply another of many ways of .producing' the stepped formation at both sides of the point of maximum projection of the medial enlargement, whereby progressive embedment into a tie of'yielding texture will take place in the manner previously described.

A still further embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings wherein the under side of the plate is provided with a series of relatively few longitudinally extending steps, the lowermost one 8 of which constitutes a primary The secondary bearingface preferably comprises a single step or shoulder 9 at one side of the primary bearing face,

and a multiplicity of relatively smaller.

steps or shoulders 10 at the opposite side of said primary bearing face. These several steps or shoulders 10 are of greater total extent or area than the single step or shoulder 9 so as to offer greater resistance to tie embedment. Furthermore, in this form of the invention, shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, the rail plate structure is provided at its underside with an intermediate projecting bearing area of maximum compres sive resistance tov the tie.

It will now be apparent that in all forms of embodiment the present invention involves'what has been termed a bottom medial enlargement of an unsymmetrical and blunt form so as to provide at opposite sides of its apex or crown separate tie bearing areas, one of which presents greater progressive resmall'bearing on the gage side of the rail 1103.1 enlargement or bulk of metal is ofl'set tooneside of the location of the vertical center of the hltobring the progressively preponderant area of tie-bearing surfaces as nearly as practicable into a location where it will be intersected by the resultant of the wheel load and wheel thrust forces which usually passes through a rail flange. This will be apparent from the illustration of -Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that another desirable feature of the present invention is that of providing a rail Plate structure wherein the load and strains are localized in such a manner that the structure lends itself readily to an economical and scientific distribution of metal, as compared with the ordinary heavy tie plate structures.

It will now also be appreciated that another important object achieved b the present invention is the correction of aults arising from the relatively limited bearing of the car wheels on the gage side of the rail head, with the rail and tie plate seated according to conventional practices. It will be apparent from Fig. 1 of the drawings, with the rail in a conventional upright position, that the wheel loads are focused on a relatively head, and if this loading is maintained "dangerous conditions may result such as the aggravation of incipient transverse fissures to a point where they actually become a menace. Therfore, it will now be clear that the load forces applied on the narrow area on one side of the rail head, reacting against the preponderant area of compressive resistance on the opposite side of the rail constitute a couple to compel the wheel, the rail, and the rail plate to assume such relations as will eliminate the couple. Consequently, in the carrying forward of the present invention it is anticipated that the automatic nature of this structure will be more effective than present practices, not only in supporting the rail in a canted position but that it will be conducive to a firmer and more lasting tie support; also a better distriubtion of wheel I strains and bearings, such as will tend to reduce materially the injurious effects upon the structure of the rail head which are incident, first, to too great concentration of wheel bearing upon a narrow strip of the running surface of the rail'head and, second to such a focusing of wheel loads on the gage side of the rail as to aggravate incipient transverse fissures to a point where they become dangerous.

Various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without sacrificing any of the ad vantages of the invention and in that connection it will be observed that only certain lines.

I a lesser resistance to tie embedment.

. modes? preferable-forms of the invention have been selected for illustration showing the separate bearing areas of the medial enlargement as bein inclined in substantially strai ht a blunt'bot-tom medial enlargement or projection of metal formed on opposite sides of its crown-or apex, or point of greatest downward projection, with separate bearing areas which permit of a relative tilting or rocking movement of the plate as it automatically settles either one way or the other to a proper seating in the tie under the infiuence of the acting'and reacting forces.

The term blunt as applied to thevsaid medial enlargement is employed in the. ordinary meaning of a flat, curved or pointed surface being non-piercing, dull or obtuse, as distinguished from a piercing, sharp or acute surface. That is, according to the present invention, the medial enlargement must be bluntly formed in order to make possible its functioning in the manner herein ex plained to attain the object desired.

I claim:

1. A rail plate provided with a medially crowned base adapted to have a lateral progressive seating engagement with the tie.

2. A rail plate provided with a base having means for compressing the wood fibers of the tie beneath the same in decreasing ratio away from a zone of maximum compres-' sion located entirely beneath the rail base.

3. A rail plate provided with a base having medial bluntly formed means for plac-- ing the fibers of the tie beneath the intermediate portion thereof under greater compression than toward the edges.

4. A rail plate having at the bottom a single crown located underneath the rail base, and opposed tie-bearing areas so separated by. said crown as respectively to oifer different resistance to tie embedment on oppo site sides of the crown. v

5. A rail plate having at the bottom a medial crown, and bearing areas separated b said crown and respectively disposed at di ferent angles whereby one area offers a greater resistance to tie embedment than the other.

6. A rail plate having at th? bottom a me dial crown, and bearing areas separated by said crown and one of which has a steeper inclination than the other whereby it offers 7. A rail plate having at the bottom a medial crown, and bearing areas separated by said crown and one of which is narrower and of less extent than the other whereby it offers a lesser resistance to tie embedment.

8. A rail plate having at the bottom a meowever, it will be obvious t at 70 portions of the base of the plate at each side ing, and secon by said pr 40- dial crown, and bearing areas separated by said crown and one of which is set at a relatively steep inclination and is of, less-total area than the other whereby it ofiers a lesser resistance to tie embedment. i

9. A rail plate provided at the bottom with a bluntly formed medial enlargement having on opposite sides of its apex separate bearing areas for tie embedment.

10. A rail plate provided at the bottomwith a bluntly formed medial enlargement having on opposite sides of its apex separate t1e bearing areas respectively disposed,

at different inclinations.

11. A rail plate provided at the bottom with a bluntly formed medial enlargement having on opposite sides of its apex inclined bearing areas for tie embedinent.

12. A rail plate having at the bottom a medial enlargement formed on opposite sides of its apex or crown with separate bearing areas one of which has a steeper inclination than .the other.

13."A rail plate provided at the bottom with a medial enlargement orprojection of metal formed on opposite sides of its apex or crown with separate bearing areas, one of which areas offers a greater resistance to tie embedment than the other.

14. A railrplate having'a base provided with a medial bluntly formed primary bearing face adapted to offer a greater com-' pressive resistance to the tie than adjacent of the said primary bearing face.

15. A rail, plate having a base provided with a medial bluntly formed primary bearbearing areas separated 1 bearing and divergently related there 1'6. A rail plate having at the bottom a primary tie bearing located underneath the rail base, and opposed secondary tie-bearing areas so separated by said primary bearing as respectively to ofier different resistance to tie embedment on opposite sides of said primary bearing.

17 A rail plate provided with a base having a primary portion adapted to have an in1t1al engagement with the tie, and secondary bearing areas of different area respectively arranged in substantially divergent relation to the said primary portion.

18. A rail plate having a base provided witha single bluntly formed tie bearing enlargement located between two planes which are perpendicular to and intersect the upper face of the rail plate, and one of-which planes is adapted to intersect the gage side of the head of a'superposed rail and the other-,of which is adapted to intersect the opposite flange of said rail.

19. A rail plate including a base having a plurality of tie bearing areas one of which is medially located at a greater depth below its rail bearing surface than are the remain tier of said tie bearingarcas; v

20. A rail plate having a base provided with a thickened portion bulging to a greater depth below its rail bearing surface be tween the upright medial plane of the rail web and a parallel plane spaced at a distance to one side of said-medial plane of the railweb; than it does at either side ofthe' space between said planes.

21. A rail plate including a base having a plurality of thicknesses measured at right angles to its tie bearing surface, the average thickness being greater on one side of the portion of maximum thickness than on the other. r

22. A rail plate provided with'a base hav- 7 i ing a plurality of tie bearing areas, of which the average depth below its rail engaging surface is greater onone side of the tie bearing area of greatest depth than it is' on the other.

23. A rail plate having a base provided with tie bearing surfaces so disposed in variably distant relationto its rail bearing surface that progressive embedment into a p tie ofyielding texture will,.during the initial stages of the embedment,- epcounter a greater amount ofthe tie bearing surfaces of the plate on one side of a plane intersecting. the central portion ofthe railbase than it will encounter on the opposite side a 26. A rail plate having a base provided with an embedding enlargementwhich presents an initial tie engagingportion and o posite secondary tie engaging portions inclining thereto, the secondar of less area than the secondary tie-engaging plate.

" portion toward the opposite edge J of .the

. tie-engaging portion toward one edge-of t e plate being- 27. A rail plate having at the bottom a single crown located underneath the rail base, and opposedstepped tie-bearing'areas 7 so separated by said crown as .i'espectively to offer different resistance to. tieembedment on opposite sides of the crown.

28. A rail plate provided at the bottomwith a medial enlargement formed on opposite sides of its apex with separate bearing areas of stepped formatlon.

29. A rail plate provided at the bottom with a medial enlargement formed onopposite sides of its apex with separate bearing areas of steppedformation one of said areas being of lesstotal extent'than the other so ment.

30. A rail plate having at the bottom a medial enlargement provided at its apex or crown with. aprimary bearing and on opposite sides of the latter with separate stepped bearing areas'one of which areas MOfi QI'S a greater resistance to tie the other. a

31. A rail plate having at the bottom a medial-crown and stepped bearing areas separated by said crown and vrespectively disposed at different angle whereby one area ofi'ers a greater resistance to tie embedment than the other. I

32. A rail plate having at the bottom two separate stepped bearing areas one of which has a steeper inclination than the other whereby it offers a lesser resistance to tie embedmentk 33. A rail plate having at the bottom two separate stepped bearing areas one of which is narrower and of less extent-than the other Lessee"? whereb it ofi'ers a lesser resistance to tie separate stepped bearing areas one of which is set at a relatively steep inclination and is of less total area than the other whereby l g it offers a lesser resistance to tie embedment. embedment-than 35. A rail plate provided at the bottom with a medial enlargement formed on opposite sides of its apex with inclined stepped bearing areas for tie embedment.

36. A rail plate provided at the bottom with a medially located primary bearing and secondary stepped bearing areas, the steps of one of the secondary areas being of less size and of less total area than the steps of the other secondary area.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. WILLIAM PATON THOMSON. Witnesses:

E. K. Knnsmgrin, D. P. Wom-rAUPTEn. 

